Thursday 24 May 2012

Tea Versus Coffee

There are many great dichotomies, and many great conflicts between two forces. Throughout history and throughout literature we have encountered these and they have been documented. Perhaps it started with Kane and Abel, or more grandly good and evil, then there's the competition between Tom and Jerry, or between Nintendo and Sega, Marvel and DC, Microsoft and Apple... countless battles of opposing yet complimentary forces and choices that can define us. Perhaps none is so epic however as the clash between tea and coffee. You have your tea drinkers, and you have your coffee drinkers, and like football fans they are each likely to vehemently defend their position. So which is better? Tea or coffee? And more importantly which is for you?

Of course like all these things there is no right or wrong answer (except perhaps in the case of good and evil... and maybe Sega and Nintendo), and different people will have different requirements. However one thing that can be said is that each drink is better suited to different occasions and has different purposes. A cup of tea for instance is a more relaxed drink and a more subtle experience. This means it can be enjoyed in polite company or it can be enjoyed alone with a good book or a load of work. It can be enjoyed while relaxing, or it can be enjoyed with a biscuit or some traditional tea cakes.

Coffee fits a different niche and this is due to a range of differences. Coffee for one is a richer and stronger tasting drink and many iterations see extra cream and froth being added. This therefore means that you are unlikely to want to drink coffee while eating a cake or biscuit as it would be possibly too rich a combination.

The other difference is that coffee contains considerably more caffeine per mug. While they both contain caffeine to be sure, coffee gives you much more of a kick and is more invigorating. This means that you can drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and it will be the perfect way to wake you up, get your mind racing and ensure that you do a good day's work. Tea is more of a gentle and friendly awakening.

Read More..